Citadel Security Service
by Blandman
Summary: C-Sec is the first and last line against crime on the Citadel. 200,000 personnel dealing with public order, pirates, customs, search-and-rescue and a great deal of other things. This is their story, from their eyes. Better summary inside.
1. Ep1 The Rookie Part One

**Note:** This is just a test of waters at first. I find that this seems to be a bit messy, but hopefully it'll become more refined as time goes on. This was just basically to quickly introduce a number of characters that will be reasonably important at different points. This isn't a constant flowing story with chapters, but an episodic sort of deal. There might be two or three parts to certain 'episodes', such as this first one, but they'll generally be concerned with separate stories each time.

Some well known characters from the game and wider universe may make periodical appearances, but this will generally concentrate on two specific characters (both original I'm afraid). One episode might be told from the perspective of a certain character, and then someone else in the next. But, generally, there won't be any big 'saving the galaxy' type things here. This is supposed to tell the story of odinary people, with relatively ordinary lives, getting mixed-up in slightly unusual situations.

I've also been playing with the idea of having instances where the reader, you, will get to choose what path the story takes. This may come in the form of two, three or even four options to pick from, each one having a different outcome. I feel that that may make the reader more involved. I wouldn't put such a thing into action very soon, however, and not so often that it'd become tiresome as opposed to interesting. And it all depends on how well this goes in the first place anyway.

Right, sorry for going on, but I had to get those things done. On with the story.

* * *

**Episode One:** The Rookie. Part One.

**Date:** 24.5.2172 CE

******

Citadel Space. The very heart of all space-fairing and, some would argue, civilised species. Here they all convened, trading commerce, ideologies and culture. This social and political hub brought together all that was good about the separate Citadel races. However, even among the grand towers of the Upper Wards, there are those who seek to bring their corruption with them, wherever they may go. Crime, like the relatively peaceful exchange of culture, is a daily occurrence, and it only gets worse the further in you go. Right down to the Foundations, where it is rare to see security personnel. Obviously, with such prevalent amounts of crime, there needs to be some sort of policing force to keep everything in-check.

That is where the Citadel Security Service, commonly known as C-Sec, enters the picture. It is an organisation consisting of over two-hundred thousand volunteer personnel, coming from all walks of life and varying Citadel species. It is up to them to meet crime head-on, wherever it might crop-up. And it is their story that shall be told, from the ground level looking up.

******

_A face. More beautiful than he had ever seen. Smiling at him. Warmly. Lovingly. Together again. Like they always were. Like they always had been. Like they always should be. The artificial light. The Presidium. Flowers. Beautiful. Day turns to night. Faster than expected. There's a voice. It shouts. Garbled and distant. But clear. "Dekarie!" The thunderous crack of a gun. Screams. Blood. Darkness._

He jolts up from the deep slumber, short of breath and with a cold sweat. It was that dream again, the same that had been haunting him for too long now. They bring a clawed hand up to their forehead, slowly rubbing it and letting out a low sigh. The room around him was practically bare, save the necessary computers and various mechanical equipment. Construed bed sheets were thrown off, and soon he was getting ready. Work would be starting soon, and he had never been late. Not once.

The daily and constant hustle of the Wards buzzed on and on, as it always had done. The many thousands of fantastic lights shone and blinked, displaying their adverts or simply providing illumination. Civilian vehicles went hurdling by at great speeds, rushing to reach their destination. There was no sleep-wake cycle, no day or night. The Wards were a site of activity, no matter the time or date. In the distance sirens wailed, answering another call for help, as they always did. Grand towers, constructed by those who claimed the Wards as their own, but refined by the Keepers, stretched up to reach the stars, their windows reflecting the lights from the opposite arms. And below there was the same tired sight of people barely managing to get by, their lives just a blur of pain and suffering.

It truly was a day like any other. Nothing changed, yet it was always something different. From behind a set of blinds, two sharp predator-like eyes stared out at the view before them, with only a mild interest at what was going on. Around them were clearly visible white-markings, indicating as to which colony they hailed from. The markings continued over the entirety of the turian's face, with jagged sides and spiked endings. His skin was of a dark grey complexion, with some hints of pale brown, and his eyes a clear ice blue, uncaring and harsh. He is Detective Arlond Dekarie, an officer of C-Sec for seventeen years and a generally respected man. And today held a good few surprises for him.

Suddenly, a sharp tone rang out through the room. It was his alarm, indicating that he should still have been asleep. But, as was usual, he had awoken long before then. Sleep was a luxury, one which he could ill afford. This time, the transition between being ready for work and actually needing to be there, was the oddest time of the day for Arlond. It gave an opportunity for contemplation, a moment to stop and take stock of everything. One thought would lead to another, then another, not all of them good. Indeed, prying into the mind of this man would be inadvisable. A regularly occurring thought was 'Is it all worth it?' The constant fight for the streets, a new crime everyday. It was...tiring, to say the least. One half wished to just end it, pack up and give in. However, the strongly indoctrinated turian ideals of public service and dedication to the group as a whole simply would not allow it. Sometimes, this harsh determination was the only thing that kept him going, kept him sane.

His eyes snapped away from the window, down to the floor and then slowly over to the screen which was currently displaying the Galactic News, with the standardized Citadel time in the corner. It was time to get to work. Arlond cast a final wary glance out over the Wards, glaring intently. Then, silently, he left the apartment, leaving all electronic devices to switch themselves off, the mechanical VI voice bidding him farewell.

*******

The journey over had been silent, as it always was, save for the low hum of the engines. Dekarie cared little for listening to broadcasts while driving, something which he did with only half-hearted interest. Some warned him to pay more attention, while he had warned them to mind their own damn business. Eventually, he softly landed at the platform for Precinct 79-B, a place which he was all too familiar with. He knew its plain grey walls and dull metal hallways better than he knew his own apartment block. With steady and purposeful steps he approached the front desk to report in, being greeted with a smile by Deena Ti'ira, the precinct's resident asari, receptionist and general intelligence officer. She had been there the day he had started, and was still there now. Still with a smile, and always looking beautiful. And yet, she had never been more than just a passing acquaintance to him. Someone whom he was obligated to converse with, merely because she lay in the direction of where he needed to go.

"Ah, hello there Detective Dekarie," she said once she spotted the familiar turian, already logging him and activating the necessary systems "I trust you had a good sleep?

"You could say that," he replied, with the usual raspy voice of his kind, but with a slightly deeper tone.

"Alright...that's you all logged in," she looked up at him, that genuinely friendly smile still present "Have a good day Detective, and be safe out there."

Arlond gave a simple nod, before heading through the automatic doors, instantly being greeted by the loud buzz of activity, which he had become entirely accustomed to. Shouts, jeers, calls coming in, situations being dealt with. It was almost comforting in comparison to his eerily quiet private quarters. He gave a few nods and greetings of acknowledgement to those who recognised him, but generally kept to himself, heading straight for his own office, where he was likely to be greeted by numerous messages and new case files. He made brisk steps toward the central elevator, going in at the same time as a few others. Two officers, a salarian and a fellow turian, particularly perked his interest enough to warrant him listening in on their conversation, which was something which he could not help doing.

"...Yeah, I know it was months ago, but still. It's hard to believe that they just left like that," said the salarian.

"I still say it was a mistake to back the humans. Batarians have been here much longer. Their interests should have come first," added the turian.

"Exactly! I'm telling you, those humans, they'll bring nothing but trouble for us!"

"Won't disagree on that one. Say did you hear on the news about that..."

It at this point the elevator reached Arlond's destination and he got off, leaving the conversation to continue on without his intrusion. The batarians opting to remove their embassy entirely had been a point for concern for many Citadel citizens. They felt a certain amount of distrust toward the fledgling humans, who were all too keen to make their mark on the galactic scene. Some took their mistrust to new heights, leading to yet more dangerous situations. Prejudice toward the humans was still high, and tension remained between them and the turians. Suffice to say, Dekarie made a concious effort to avoid any humans who had been hired into C-Sec. Fortunately, there were still relatively few, the first one having only joined nine years previously. And from the stories he had heard, the man wasn't exactly doing a good job.

Thankfully, he soon reached his office, which he valued greatly. It was a good place in which to organise his thoughts and put everything together. Neither too big nor too small, it served its purpose just fine. Quickly, he started punching in the code necessary to unlock his door, the well remembered pin coming easily to him. However, his finger was stopped before it could hit the last digit by someone calling for him from further down the hallway.

"Detective Dekarie!" called the familiar voice of fellow detective Zalek "The captain wants to see you. Says it's something important."

Arlond couldn't help but to let a pained sigh escape his mouth. For a few moments he stared at the door which stood between him and his office, wondering what he would be needed for this time, before pressing hard on the cancel button to clear his nearly finished code. The holographic screen blinked away as he turned, his footsteps echoing down the long metal hallway. Being a reasonably renowned officer had granted him a place which lay near the captain's own office, which meant that the otherwise annoying walk was cut down to a casual stroll. Dekarie rarely rushed to get anywhere, regardless of who might be waiting for him, superior personnel or no. He knew he could get away with it though, his exemplary record had granted him that much.

Within two minutes he was at the destination, the doors opening automatically for him, revealing a room two times the size of his own office, and equipped with far better and far more equipment, ranging from personal computers to large data banks. Captain Ja'sar Ullok sat behind his desk, diligently filing numerous reports and dealing with anything that might be required of him. Arlond stepped in, waiting patiently for his commanding officer to acknowledge him. A prolonged silence broke out, before Ullok finally looked up, his yellow tinged eyes meeting the detective's. Both being turian, and being from the same world had created a certain sense of respect and camaraderie between the two, and so they treated each other as such.

"Please, take a seat detective," the captain offered, slowly indicating his hand toward a chair opposite him "I get the feeling that you might need it."

"You wanted to see me about something?" Dekarie inquired as he lowered himself into a sitting position.

"Yes. It seems that a decision has been made from high-up places. One which will concern you quite greatly in the coming months, maybe even years," Ullok started, building up for something that Arlond probably won't be happy with "They have deemed it necessary to post a new partner to you, who will serve as your assistant and student of sort..."

"A rookie? I'm no babysitter Captain."

"Please, allow me to finish," he paused for a moment "They're not a complete rookie. They've had previous experience with policing...on the Arcturus Station."

"But that's...oh no. You're not serious about this are you?" the turian asked, in a rather demanding tone.

"This isn't my decision Arlond. My hands are tied. If I had my way, I'd tell them that you don't even need a partner. However, that isn't what this about. You're pretty well known. Known to Executor Pallin, and to an extent the Council themselves. Hell, they even had the ridiulous notion to consider you as a potential Spectre candidate briefly, but myself and Pallin let them know what you'd think of that. Still, both they and the Executor are in agreement. Due to your extensive experience and outstanding record, you're perfect for this. The Council also sees it as an opportunity for our two species to improve relations, especially after the Relay 314 Incident. If you can make good on this guy, then it'd do something toward helping our image. I know you don't like it, I'm not exactly thrilled either, but that's just how it is."

"Fine," Arlond accepted with another heavy sigh "When's he getting here?"

"I'm told they're already here, but are having some trouble at customs. Head-up to the Presidium and pick him up. Bring them back, give him the grand tour, tell him what's-what. We'll introduce him gradually. Don't want to overwhelm the bastard."

"If you say so Captain," the detective answered, before getting up and turning to leave.

"Oh, and Dekarie...try not to get him killed. It'll look bad on the news."

"No promises."

******

Transit from the Wards to the Presidium always took longer than he liked. Too much time was wasted in it. Add the fact that he held no love for the autocratic feel which the area held, and his acute disdain toward having a new partner, all made for one particularly unhappy turian. They were a race that you would do best to not annoy, Arlond more-so. Whoever this guy was, he was about to get a rather unpleasant introduction to Citadel life. At the forefront of these mixed thoughts was the prospect of having a pupil of sorts, following him around and 'helping' with investigations. He had no doubt that they would prove to be a great hindrance, and guessed that they wouldn't last three weeks before giving up, or dying. He cared little which one came first.

Eventually, the C-Sec reached that most audacious of places, which presented itself as the pinnacle of Citadel society, the Presidium. The very sight of its pristine white buildings and shining lakes sickened him, not to mention the many ignorant people who only mingled with their own ignorant circle of friends. He was entirely out of place, wearing his rough and tattered grey and maroon armour. His vehicle landed gracefully on the platform just outside one of many customs offices. Before entering, he braced himself for the meeting ahead, taking in a deep breath. And the day had started off so well too.

It only took a flash of his identification to be allowed into the building, which was filed with numerous people, of differing races, all waiting for access and all delayed for one reason or another. Arlond scanned the crowd, searching for the queue which would be easiest to push into, choosing to avoid any which had an elcor or krogan in its midst. No point in causing a scene. Finally choosing one, he made his way to the front, asking people to move aside and informing them of his C-Sec status. He managed to reach the front just as the overworked customs officer shouted "Next!"

The evidently exhausted salarian looked at him with only a mild curiosity.

"Can I help you officer?" came the dull and monotone query.

"I understand that you're currently holding up my new 'colleague'. He should have just shipped in from the Arcturus Station?"

"Ah yes. Just head over there," he pointed to a nearby door "And then you can help sort out the situation."

Arlond simply nodded, before pushing his way gently through the crowd again, getting a few dismissive glares and angry growls as he went by. Again, the doors automatically opened for him and he was greeted to the sight of a rather plain room, with a set of plush sofas and a standard glass table between them. And in that room was an asari customs officer, and a turian guard, along with a rather upset human.

"Look, I'm telling you, I've been transferred here to a position in C-Sec. I'm supposed to be meeting someone right now!" his voice was raised, and clearly disgruntled, while the two others couldn't care less.

The human hadn't been what he had expected. He was actually, and surprisingly, reasonably well-built. Broad shoulders, standing at about five-eleven, with a solid well-defined jaw. But his face gave away his inexperience. He was young, painfully so, most likely no older than twenty-five. Arlond had been given his file, but had decided not to waste time reading it. The man's hair was a dark brown and cut quite short, flicking it up slightly at the front, while only the faintest signs of stubble were coming through on his face. A pair of deep green eyes were currently fixed upon the asair customs operative, who was simply looking over a data-pad and nodding to whatever the man said, giving the occasional "Mmm-hmm," to signify that she was at least listening.

He was wearing clothing typical of his race. A prussian blue hooded jacket, its sleeves rolled up, with a plain white shirt underneath, and a pair of dark grey trousers. However, his other personal affects were absent, having likely been confiscated for certain security reasons. It seemed to take the three present a few moments to notice Arlond's entrance. The turian guard turned instantly, his stance becoming as imposing as he could make it.

"Can I help you?" he asked harshly, to which Arlond simply replied by producing his well-used identification, causing the guard to back of with a nod.

"What's going on here?" he directed the question to the asari, ignoring the human entirely.

"This man claims to be here on C-Sec business. However, our records indicate no such arrangement. He was also found to be in possession of a firearm, which is a right reserved for C-Sec personnel only."

"Hmm..." Arlond looked to the human slowly, meeting the man's flabergasted stare with a cold gaze, before diverting his attention back to the asari "Then there's something wrong with your system. This human was transferred here under orders from Executor Pallin. I can vouch for them."

"Oh...I...that's, I mean his is an extremely irregular occurrence," she stumbles over her words, taken aback by the fact that their records were wrong "We apologise for any inconvenience officer. We'll have the situation rectified soon. You may accompany the human in order to pick up his belongings."

Arlond didn't wait around, beckoning the human over with a sharp hand gesture. He didn't bother to wait though, turning about and heading away instantly, leaving his supposed partner to follow behind. The detective was well aware of where the items of people were held, and so headed directly there, hoping to avoid any unnecessary conversing. He was, however, to be bitterly disappointed.

"Hey!" came the human's rather up beat voice "Thanks for helping me out back there. Did ya notice how I didn't get an apology? What the hell is up with that. I'm tellin' ya, this whole place is just out to get me. I swear they picked me out just 'cause I'm human and all. Is that normal? The vids back on Station said that everyone got along just dandy here. Thought it'd be nice and friendly, ya know? At least the buildings are nice enough. Beats the hell outta the stuffy Arcturus hallways. Oh, my names Brenic by the way. Brenic Thompson. So, I guess you're my partner, huh? For the Citadel Security Service? They told me it'd be a turian. I thought you'd be taller...vids said you'd be taller. They said you have wicked sharp claws too, so I guess that one was true. Your file said you're a real veteran. Been through lots of stuff, seen lots of things. Man, it must be great working here. You probably get to meet all kinds of people. So do you think that..."

It was simply non-stop. Arlond was entirely unprepared for this. He was quite capable of blocking out unnecessary or annoying noise, but this was just an onslaught of one thing after another, a constant droning sound which just caused an ever increasing amount of annoyance. The turian wasn't well-known for his friendly attitude, or any sort of patience. Brenic kept on talking. He talked while they went to get his stuff. He kept talking while they waited for his stuff. He continued to babble when they had acquired his duffel bag of belongings. He persisted went on as they exited, and only quietened to a stop when Arlond spun about sharply once they were near his vehicle.

"By whatever God, or gods-you-may-worship's sake human! Do you never shut up? Will these constant annoying questions and comments be a persistent thing? Because if they are, I will shoot you now," he snapped in a harsh manner, his eyes fixed upon the human in an intimidating fashion.

"I-I-I...just wanted to...I mean I'm..."

"Lets lay some ground rules here," Arlond started, poking Brenic with one clawed finger "You're here because you were sent, volunteered, force to, whatever. I'm here because I have to be. That does not make us friends. We are partners in C-Sec, for now. But that, does not, make us, friends. You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not act unless told to. Hell, you won't even think unless you get my say so. Are we clear on that?"

"Y-yeah...sure..." there was a tinge of hurt and disappointment in Brenic's voice, but it went unnoticed by Arlond, who turned away and got into the vehicle, waiting for the human to do so as well.

Soon enough they were off again, heading back to the precinct.

******

Their journey back to Precinct 79-B was an awkward one to say the least, with no words passing between the two at all, and no radio to disrupt the uncomfortable situation. Though it may have been that only Brenic felt awkward, seems as Arlond looked to be perfectly fine with silence. It was, in his eyes, much more favourable to the option of a constantly talking human. A most disturbing prospect. Their arrival couldn't come too soon for the human, however, who was thankful to see the dull building which would serve as his new base of operations.

He had occupied the journey by looking out over the Wards as the whizzed by, his previously high expectations getting damaged more and more the further they went. Even from high up, he could see the dilapidated state of some places. It was a far cry from the images that the vids had shown. He was starting to wonder whether he had actually been lied to or not. They said he was chosen because he had talent, potential even, but maybe he was just chosen because no-one else was crazy enough to accept a placement in this part of the Citadel. It was too late now though, and he decided that slugging it out was probably the best option. Arlond turned to him again as they came in to land.

"Okay human. Stay close to me, keep your head down and don't speak to anyone. It's bad enough that I have to be seen walking in here with you..."

After giving this brief but harsh warning, Arlond opened up the vehicle, stepping out and not bothering to wait for his new partner. This intent to get through the main floor as quickly as possible caused him to forget that Brenic needed to be signed in. Fortunately, Deena was there to intercept.

"Ah, you must be our latest recruit," she said to Brenic, just before Arlond could enter the precinct, her smile still present "You must be very excited."

"Oh..." Brenic seemed cautious, looking to Arlond briefly, though the turian hadn't bothered to turn around "Yeah! I mean...I can't wait to start helping out. This is just a dream for me. Always wanted to come to the Citadel. Though, it hasn't been quite what I expected so far..."

"Really? Why's that?" Deena asked, genuinely curious.

"Well," Brenic leant in closer, lowering his voice "You're the first person I've meet that has actually been nice to me and...well," he quickly glanced at Arlond, nodding his head toward the turian slightly.

"Don't worry. You'll fit right in soon enough," she leant forward as well now, and whispered "And don't worry about Arlond. He may be a mean bastard on the outside, but there is actually a soul in there somewhere...at least, we're pretty certain there is."

"I'm not deaf you know," Arlond interrupted.

"Be nice Dekarie," she replied jokingly "Anyway. I just need a few things from you, Mr..."

"Thompson! Brenic Thompson," he answered sharply, offering his hand, which Deena quickly shook with her soft hand.

"Nice to meet you Brenic. A firm grip too, I like you already."

This continued for about two or three minutes, Brenic filling out numerous forums, signing this and that, handing over certain data and generally getting himself signed up onto the C-Sec system. Meanwhile, Arlond stood to the side, arms crossed and eyes staring dead ahead. Disregarding his general dislike of humours, he could already foresee being greatly annoyed by this one. He was young, far too curious and overly enthusiastic. The detective could understand being excited about a new position. After all, it did bring new chances, new life experiences and an 'expanding horizon', but this kid took enthusiasm to a whole new level. Arlond could only hope that he would settle down after a few days, though he wasn't about to hold his breath on it.

When the necessary procedures were finally done and over with, Arlond led his new 'student' through the maze of cubicles, desks and information stations which occupied the ground floor. People glance over at the pair, giving them odd looks and directing a few derogatory comments there way, such as "Nice pet you got there!" or "I didn't know you were into that sort of thing," all of which Arlond promptly replied to with some rude gestures and a few choice curse words in his native tongue. Though these reactions simply led to a raucous of laughter amongst some groups of officers. In the meantime, Brenic followed sheepishly behind, shying away from the comments and keeping his head down, as he had been instructed. However, this was, unfortunately, not enough to stop a certain other officer from blocking his path. Yet another turian, seems as C-Sec was mostly filled by them, used the space between Arlond and Brenic to stand in the humans way, stepping out from a nearby cubicle.

"What the hell is this? Higher-ups must be getting desperate if they're letting your kind dirty our precinct. Never thought I'd see the day. Look at you, more pitiful than a baby vasgar. Shit, you probably think you know it all, huh?"

"Hey Tes'kar, leave the kid alone," Arlond intervened, though not for concern of Brenic, but just because he did not want to be held up.

"Sorry sir, but I'm just saying what we're all thinking. This human is going to mess everything up. Hell, he's already made the place smell bad enough."

"Not my problem. Now move out of his way."

The turian complied, though reluctantly, glaring at the rather meek looking human as he briskly walked by, head staring directly down at the ground. Once he was certain that he was out of earshot, Brenic muttered something to himself, in an attempt to feel better about the whole situation.

"Ass hole," he scoffed under his breath.

Brenic had, however, forgotten to factor in the rather excellent senses that turians possessed, as even Arlond, whom was a considerable distance away, managed to catch what he had just said. With yet another heavy sigh, the detective stopped in his tracks, making an educated guess as to what was about to happen. Indeed, Tes'kar had also heard and stopped, turning his head slightly.

"You say something human?" he asked, but knowing exactly what had been said. He now turned completely to face Brenic "Why not say it to my face?"

The human had also stopped now, a progressively angrier expression spreading across his face. He looked to Arlond for support, but doubted that he'd find any. Surprisingly though, the detective was looking right at him, at seemed to understand how he felt. He shook his head slowly, as if to say "Forget it. It's not worth it," and it took all of Brenic's resolve to comply. With a deep breath he steadied himself, before continuing to walk, following after Arlond.

"Aaah, that's right human," Tes'kar taunted "Walk away like a coward, just like the rest of your kind. You've got a real catch there Arlond. But I wouldn't count on him watching your back!"

These taunts were received well by the officers nearby, who gave a few quiet chuckles and jeers of supports for Tes'kar, who basked in his 'victory'.

*******

Finally, Arlond reached his office again, looking forward to having some peace and quiet again. He intended to just have a short conversation, give him a few token cases to go and work on while he rested his mind for a while. All of this was just far too stressful for his liking. An uncomfortable sleep, a new partner, a human no less, and a building full of people just waiting to poke fun. Pricks. He quickly punched in the well-versed numbers, and the door quickly slid open, revealing his familiar office. Arlond instantly stepped in, taking solace in the rather bare room. He indicated with a hand gesture that Brenic was allowed to enter also. For now at least. The detective started going through some files, looking for something to give his new partner so that he could be left alone, while the human settled into a desk that was situated on the left of his office, not far from his own desk.

_Wait..._

He paused, turning to look at where Brenic was now sitting. The human was moving back-and-forth in his adjustable chair, which had not been before, behind a plain desk, with computers included, none of which had been there before either. Arlond pondered about this for a few seconds, a shocked expression on his face, before leaving the room without a word. Brenic was far too occupied with his new computer to notice. Dekarie stormed down the hall way, turning sharply and 'bursting' into Zalek's office. The salarian looked up from his computer, slightly surprised by the sudden entrance.

"Why the hell is there another desk in my office?" he asked, demanding an immediate answer.

"You weren't told? Space is short. We didn't have another room available for your partner..."

"Then put him down on ground floor in a cubicle, or in the janitor's closet, or hell in the toilets!"

"There's simply no room for him anywhere else. We are full to capacity. I'm sorry that inconveniences you so, to have another being present in the same room, but there's not much that can be done. Least of all by me."

"For crying out..." Arlond stormed out again, the door closing automatically behind him.

"Nice talking to you too," Zalek muttered.

Dekarie re-entered his office in a whirlwind of angst and annoyance, heading straight for his desk and plummeting into it, allowing his head to fall back and looking up at the ceiling. He stared blankly upward, before gradually getting the sensation that he was being watched. Slowly, Arlond brought his head back down, resting his weary gaze upon the young C-Sec officer, who was looking directly at him.

"Is something the matter?"

"No," came the quiet reply "Nothing. Right. What was up at customs? They said you had a firearm."

"Oh, right, yeah! I brought it with me from my previous posting, ya know, just in case."

"May I see it?"

"Uuh, sure. I guess."

Brenic opened up his pale green duffel bag, rummaging through it for a few seconds, before grasping hold of something and producing a small standard pistol. He got up and placed it in Arlond's hand, the turian instantly starting to inspect the weapon. It was a grey and black colour. Small clip, but pretty accurate. Aldrin Labs design. Very reliable, but extremely weak. He set it back down on the desk and slid it over to Brenic, who looked quizzically at his new boss.

"Why did you being it?"

"Well like I said, just in case."

"Just in case what?"

"I don't know...in case I get attacked or something."

"I don't see what good it would do," Arlond started, going on to explain what he meant "We have to deal with all sorts here. Asari, salarian, human, turian, volus. You get the idea. Then you have things like krogan. Now, I'm sure that pistol worked just fine on Arcturus Station, because it could easily put a human down. Things is, it's more like to give a krogan a tickle rather than actually damage them. Keep it if you want, just thought you should know to bring something with a bigger boom next time."

"Oh, erm...thanks?"

"On that subject, I guess I should probably go and get you kitted out. Armour, pistol, ID card, all that stuff..."

******

Thankfully, their journey to the Armoury, and then the Gunnery Sergeant, went without incident. Probably because Arlond opted to take the long way around, as to avoid the majority of personnel. Its length was much greater than its width, with the main desk at its centre. Down each way were massive firing ranges, which were currently filling the room with sounds of gun shots of all kinds, along with a few explosives. The two officers approached the desk, which was currently manned by Gunnery Sergeant Hurna Sol'a, a volus of typical height and stature for their race. Without even looking at them, the volus started typing something into his personal computer, which was followed by the sound of cogs and machinery beginning to turn.

"One moment please," he stated.

Behind him was a massive conveyor belt-like construct, which dipped far down into the ground, reaching depths unknown to the two C-Sec officers. Numerous metal containers went by gradually, each one with a different name and code etched onto it. Without too much time passing, it finally got to Brenics, the machine releasing his metal container and sending it along yet another belt, stopping only when it reached a small in-dent at the desk, in which it fit perfectly.

"This should contain all your necessary weapons and equipment, along with anything else you may require," Hurna explained, still not looking up from their computer.

_"Detective Dekarie,"_ the voice buzzed over his communication device, the voice belonging to Ullok. Arlond walked a few steps away from Brenic, who was too fixated on his new equipment to care anyway.

"Captain?"

_"I've got a case here that serve well as a good start for your partner, and-"_

"Good. I'll send him up to you ri-"

_"Hang on Detective. You're going with him. It may look like an easy job, but I'm not having this guy run around by himself. Anything can happen out there, you should know that better than anyone. The case file should be at your office now. Look over it as soon as you get back there. Ullok out."_

The turian exhaled loudly. Things were not going his way today. Not like they usually did anyway, but this one was rather more annoying than he was used to. Arlond informed his partner where he would be, and told him to hurry up, though didn't mention the fact that they had a case. He wouldn't want the human to get excited again. That's when it was the worst. With quick steps, Dekarie made his way back to the office, wanting to make the most of the few minutes that he would have to himself. Upon reaching it, the detective sat down once again, opening up his computer immediately and starting to look over this latest incident. The first thing he checked was where it would be. It looked as if they wouldn't have to go any further than the Upper Wards, which he was thankful for. That kid wouldn't last two seconds down where the real crimes were.

As if on cue, Brenic entered at that moment, decked out in the standardized C-Sec equipment and with his new gun holstered at his hip, the human was simply beaming with excitement. He had even opted to put his head-scanner in place already, which wasn't really necessary, but something which a lot of rookies did at first. Only those who are doing high-grade investigations need them really, but Arlond would let the human have his fun, though he did manage to cut him off before he could even start talking.

"We got our first case," he started, telling Brenic to sit down with a hand gesture "Seems that we got a salarian with some questionable financial records. We've got to track him down, get some more evidence on it and then reel him in. I don't expect you to do much more outside of watching and listening to everything I do or say. Then hopefully you'll actually learn something. I'll be blunt with you kid. This isn't a real case. I was given this to break you into the occupation nice and easy. You can expect similar things to this quite often. First off, we're going to head to Networking. They should have some extra information for us. Then it's straight off to the Upper Wards, where we can start this properly."

The turian rose up from his seat, closing down his computer and checking his side-arm. Walking about his desk, Arlond made way for the door, stopping only when he noticed that Brenic wasn't following behind, like the good little lap dog that he was supposed to be.

"You ready?" the turian asked, but without really caring.

"Yeah...lets get it done."

The two left Arlond's office, heading out to fulfil their first task together. It would most likely define their partnership from there and onward.

**After-note:** I apologise for the rather slow start, but as I mentioned, I needed to throw in all the characters before things could really start moving. This, in my eyes, makes the characters seem rather dull at first, but they will develop easily as time goes on. Hopefully in unexpected ways. Anyway. Thanks for taking the time to read my little bit, and I hope you at least took some entertainment from it.


	2. Ep2 The Rookie Part Two

**Note:** Well, I actually managed to get this one out at the time that I intended to, which is impressive for me. It's not perfect, but I think it's a nice and easy start to this 'series'. And it only took me till 5am last night to finish it. Talk about dedication! On with the show.

* * *

**Episode Two:** The Rookie. Part Two.

**Date:** 24.5.2172 CE

******

The first day of a new Citadel Security officer was usually a relatively quiet one. Assigned token tasks, such as a guard posting on the Presidium, or being sent out to deal with minor incidents. Certainly nothing dangerous, or potentially hazardous, as this might dissuade the recently commissioned officer into taking an early leave of absence. This, however, could never always be the case. There were those who got caught in the middle of something that was far beyond their experience, or simply thrown into a situation where they were in over their head.

This, on occasion, led to the unfortunate incident of an officer getting taken down. A sad occurrence at any rate, but even more so when it was just a rookie. There were, also, times when the new officer might succeed. Prove themselves as it were, catapulting their career to new heights, and at a much quicker pace than would be usual. Too often though, it is the former example which comes about. The Academy's training can only provide so much. And sometimes, it's just some poor shmuck who was transferred over, given no Academy training, then thrown straight into the fire with nothing but a gun and their instinct.

******

Networking. Just another part of the entire C-Sec operation. They were the front line defence against all typical 'cybercrimes'. Identity theft, copyright theft, hacking, viral attacks, illegal AI. You name it, they probably track it. Regardless of this, outside of sitting behind their computers and wasting away, Arlond saw little use for them. He was a 'beat-cop', as the humans would say, preferring to be down on the ground and getting stuck in. Being forced to sit in Networking would be a much more gruesome punishment than mere suspension from duty for him. Sitting there, not being able to directly do anything. If the criminal got away, dropped off the radar, it was give-up and start over. Of course, none of that was really how Networking operated. Indeed, it is a very construed view. They did a great deal of hard work, and C-Sec's functional capability would be extremely damaged without them.

Arlond usually palmed-off such comments, seems as the friendlier explanations usually came from the department itself. So, of course, their views would be biased. Couldn't be trusted. He felt that his view was probably right, deeming them as nothing more than glorified key punchers. Suffice to say, he generally tried to avoid their section of the precinct, and not just because they all thought of him as the biggest ass hole in C-Sec to date. It is understandable then that he was in no rush to get there, along with the fact that he was sure their case was no big deal. A financial record with a few oddities was hardly something to get worked up about. This didn't stop Brenic, however, who could barely contain his intense expression of glee. It was sickening, but gave him a strange thought. During his first day, he had been a nervous wreck. Dropping data pads, spilling drinks, tripping over boxes. It was odd to see how differently this human was reacting. He was also thankful that there weren't many people still around who can remember his first day.

Still, he hadn't had much contact with humans up until that day. It created a sort of morbid curiosity in his mind, wanting to see how the rookie would deal with it all. There was so much that he still hadn't told, so much that he still needed to learn. What better way to learn than while doing it, right there and then? Training on the job. Best way to do it. Besides, he was sure that the human would undoubtedly bombard him with an array of questions regarding this, that, and the other.

These idle thoughts occupied him long enough that they had reached the entrance to Networking in barely any time at all. And it seemed that Brenic had been having some thoughts of his own, enough to keep him quiet anyway. Or maybe he was just good at taking not-so-friendly advice. Arlond came to a sudden halt just before they came in range of the automatic doors, the bright sign of 'Networking' hanging above it in an orange hue. The turian turned about slowly, checking down each way of the corridor, to be sure that it was all clear. Then, with his face as stern as ever, he looked directly at Brenic, who quickly stepped back once and shied away.

"Listen, before we go in there...you should just know that, well, things could get a bit tense," he paused a moment, scratching under his chin "See, I don't get on with most of the guys in Networking, at all."

"There's a surprise," came the muttered snide comment from Brenic, much to the shock of Arlond, who quickly glared at him. It seemed that it had been a though which was accidentally announced out loud, as the human quickly looked away to a nearby window, then down to the ground, clearing his throat loudly.

"Anyway," Arlond started sharply, shrugging off the comment "Just thought you should know. I still do all the talking though. Don't want you saying anything else stupid. Clear?"

All he needed was the slow nod from Brenic, before the detective gave out a gruff exhale. Again, he turned about and now headed straight through the door, making sure not to break his pace. The two were instantly greeted by a wash of heat from the many over-clocked and over-worked computer systems. The room was suited on the third floor and ran down the length of the building, directly through the middle, seems as the building was dissected into four separate quarters. This was one of the larger rooms, second only to the basement armoury and firing range. It had large windows, giving a clear view of everything that went on below, yet blocking out the sound. Each computer station had its own cubicle, and each one was constantly being monitored or worked on. The sound of many voices speaking at once made for a confusing chorus of noise, along with the hums, beeps and blips of the machinery.

People went to and fro, from one cubicle to the next, handing over data pads or simply conversing. Everyone was wearing their own headset, and everyone was equipped with a specialized omni-tool. Both were of a much higher grade than the ones afford to Enforcement or Investigation. This was another possible source of animosity. Indeed, many on the ground floor felt that those in the 'Networking Palace', as they so fondly called it, got far too much for doing far too little. Of course, such things rarely amounted to anything substantial, especially when there was work to be done. However, if something goes wrong, then all the departments are quick to point at any of the others, trying to pin the blame on them. Too often had an investigation been hampered due to infighting or petty squabbles.

This was why Arlond was so adverse to the idea of going there, and why he walked rather cautiously through the maze of work stations. Some might even dare to say that he looked rather meek. But, he knew who he was looking for, and didn't intend to stir up any arguments. After a while, the two officers came to cubicle one-nine-seven-A, Tech Operative H. Sil'an. Another asari, though nowhere near as friendly as Deena. They gave Arlond a quick glance, before muttering something inaudible to both men, though it probably wasn't something very endearing. After finishing typing something, she spun about in her chair, looking up at the two with forced interest.

"Hello Detective Dekarie. Officer Brenic," she said plainly, giving the human a slight nod "I suppose you two are here about something important," she spun back again, and proceeded to type something into her computer.

"Well, I'm hardly here for your pleasant personality Helum," retorted Arlond quickly.

"Har har. Everything should be in the case file, Dekarie. What do you want?"

"Just wanted to know which parts were falsified exactly. The name? Date? Amount? What?"

"Pretty much all of it, though I don't see why it really matters. The fact that it was done at all is reason enough to haul him in. Specifics don't matter," she answered, with a shrug.

"Maybe not to you. Anything else? Has he got any other crimes on his record? Involved with local gangs? Possible enemies? Regular hang-outs?"

"No, yes, no, not that I know of, don't know."

Arlond, getting the message loud and clear, rolled his eyes, gave a false word of thanks and then left, with Brenic in tow. If there was anything else to uncover, then they were going to have to dig for it themselves. Most of his questions might have seemed trivial, but the turian had learnt long ago that you had to have every conceivable angle covered. At least then you couldn't blame failure on a lack of planning or foresight. This school of thinking had served him well thus far, and he wasn't about to stop. So, the two went on their way, heading straight for precinct vehicle dock. Usually, officers sent out on a case went in a C-Sec cruiser, but Arlond preferred the subtly of his personal vehicle. Besides that, it was a much more comfortable ride. Both he and Brenic piled into the dark green coloured car, the doors closing with a click, and the engines starting up with a satisfying rush of energy. Soon enough, they were up and off.

"So," the human started cautiously "Where's our first perp situated then?"

"The Ahto Ward," came the quick reply, ignoring the ridiculous human slang word used "Eldnor Quarter, Hamlas Tower. EFET."

"EFET? Hah, what the hell is that?"

"Easy find, easy tag. I guess they must have left C-Sec jargon out of them fancy vids, huh?" the detective remarked, a overly sarcastic tone in his voice "Better learn them quick, or you'll never understand what we're saying."

They went onward in silence from there, Arlond not wishing to talk, and Brenic remembering what he had been told. It was, however, less awkward for the new officer this time around, his mind focused entirely upon the task at hand. If he was going to get others to stop treating him like dirt, then he was going to have to go all-out on every case for a considerable amount of time. Even then, people still might just go on like they have been so far. Should that be the case, then he would let it drop, intending to simply show them up at every possible opportunity he got. That's what he had always been told anyway. 'When in doubt, prove them all wrong.' One of the numerous pearls of wisdom from his esteemed father.

Soon enough they had entered the Ahto Ward, with their target tower block coming into view. The vehicle bobbed and weaved through the surrounding traffic, going at immense speeds and turning with precise accuracy. It didn't take long before they had broken away from the main line of traffic, and were on a direct course toward the Hamlas Tower. Brenic could not wait.

******

Hamlas Tower. It was the same boring mix of greys and metallic blues as all the other towers surrounding it. Nothing separated one from the other, save for the occasional small patch, or out of place window. Each one was defined by the massive holographic sign which hung above them, all of them shifting through different colours at odd times. There was a seemingly constant shift of people leaving and arriving at the tower in their vehicles, or simply going through the ground entrance on foot. Due to the dizzying heights that most towers reached, only people who lived on the first few floors generally used the actual main entrance, while others made use of the platforms which were situated at every fifth floor.

Arlond's car swiftly fell upon the platform, situated on floor twenty. Those present merely gave the arriving officers a curious glance, before returning back to their own business. Their suspect's apartment was up on the twenty-third floor, which wasn't even close to the halfway point. Thankfully, this particular part of the Wards was not nearly as prone to crime as most others, meaning that they were unlikely to run into anything particularly troubling. With a simple hand gesture, and a nod toward the entrance, both men were on their way. Neither of them broke their stride once, as people simply parted way upon their approach. Things never really ended well for those who got in the way of C-Sec, not usually anyway.

Eventually they came upon the control panel for the lift, where there was a set of six. More than enough for the constantly moving inhabitants. Without even giving it a second though, Brenic quickly pushed down on the holographic button, hailing one of them. They only had to wait a few moments before a clear 'Ding' sounded out, and one of the sets of doors slid open. Arlond entered first, turning about and putting a hand out to stop the human from entering also. He shook his head sharply.

"Take the stairs kid," he ordered gruffly, much to Brenic's dissatisfaction,

"What? Why?!"

"Outside of the fact that I told you to? This is a salarian. He probably knows we're coming. I need you to cover the stairs in case they try making a break for it," came the retort, with a slight tinge of joy.

"But I-"

"Better hurry," Arlond started as the doors started to close "These things go pretty fast..."

Brenic stared blankly at the solid grey doors which now occupied his vision. He gave a loud "Son of a bitch" remark, before darting off to the left and immediately bounding up the stairs. The human took two or three steps at a time, making good and timely progress. Anyone coming in the other direction quickly side-stepped in surprise, seeing that the man wasn't about to stop for anyone. And, as if to pour salt into his wound, Brenic could clearly see the lift which Arlond occupied through the glass panelling which followed the stairs up. The turian was as stoic as could be, blissfully unaware of his partner's struggle to meet him on time.

It was, as it turned out, a fruitless exercise. Thompson hadn't even passed a single salarian, and only garnered a few well deserved odd looks from passers-by, or some choice words aimed at him. He did, however, manage to come upon the lift before Arlond arrived, grinding himself to an immediate halt as soon as he reached them. The human leant upon a nearby wall with one hand, affording himself a few seconds of rest, which were rudely interrupted by his superior's arrival. Not even a query as to how he felt was given. Dekarie merely glanced at the heavily panting man, rolled his eyes and then brushed past him. Allowing himself one more moment of respite, Brenic straightened himself up again, and then briskly followed behind.

They went on down the corridor, passing endless rows of blank doors and bland walls, with only an occasional plant breaking this monotony. It must have been a good five minutes before they came upon their intended destination. The salarian's name, Jath Palor, shown clearly on a holographic sign next to the door, along with the apartment's number. The weathered turian gave a nod to Brenic, who detached his side arm from its holster, holding it down at his side and standing to the left of the door. Arlond also brought out his firearm, holding it behind his body slightly. He wasn't really expecting anything, but it never hurt to be prepared.

"Mr. Palor. This is Citadel Security. Please open the door," Dekarie called out, knocking on the door also, but no answer "Sir. Please open this door," he said it louder this time, knocking more harshly as well. Still no answer.

He pressed the button on the right, to try and open the door, but it instantly turned red, indicating that the door was firmly locked. Giving out a sigh, Arlond put his gun away, bringing up his omni-tool and hastily pressing a few things.

"C-Sec personnel, #186.093B. Order; lock override," he stated out loud, directing it toward the door.

With a few mechanical clicks and whines later, the button switched to green and the door opened itself, a mechanical voice giving out an "Affirmative" and "Welcome Detective Dekarie." They were greeted by a dark scene. All lights and other things had been turned off, and though there was signs of the apartment having been in use not long ago, there was currently nobody situated inside. At least, not in the front room. Arlond quickly gave Brenic the go ahead to enter, the human doing so quickly, flicking on the torch on both the underside of his pistol, and on his head visor. Dekarie simply used the one on his omni-tool, and didn't fell the need to draw out his weapon again. The room itself was rather large, but generally sparse of any personal possessions. There was a set of sofas, which were built into the walls, a standard holographic television, a small area for the kitchen. Nothing really out of the ordinary for this sort of area. There were three more doors, each one leading off to a separate room.

Another quick gesture told Brenic to go and search the one room, while Arlond chose to scan the two on the right himself. The first was, much to his disappointment, just a lavatory and held nothing of paramount interest in it. However, doctrine dictated that an officer must check everything. A brief search led him to the medicine cabinet, which was full of various stimulants and adrenaline boosters. Whoever he was, and whatever he was doing, he found it necessary to make use of all of these. It was hardly any solid evidence, but something worth noting. Arlond swiftly left, going back into the main room, briefly catching a glimpse of Brenic, before entering the next room. Here he found a simple plain bed, which looked as if it hadn't been used for some time. The only other thing of note was a wall safe, which was wide open and completely empty, save for a single credit chit. He have the room a quick once-over, but found nothing.

"Sir!" came the call from out side "Think I got something."

The turian found it hard to bring himself to believe that the human really had stumbled upon anything substantial. Arlond went back out again, finding his partner standing just outside of the opposite door, the lights on his gun and head making it difficult to see him clearly. With squinted vision, he walked over, passing-by Brenic without a word, and heading into the room. It was occupied by numerous desks, a heavily damaged data bank and a rubbish disposal chute, which every apartment had. Numerous empty food trays or drink cans lay scattered about, most of which were energy drinks. It was obviously some kind of computer room, but all of it had been removed. Brenic shuffled over to the rubbish chute, standing next to a pile of discarded wrappings and various scraps of paper, which was surprising seems as paper was largely a rarity on the Citadel.

"So, I did a regular search of the room. Checked that data bank," he started, pointing at the sizeable machine "But it's totally fired. Circuits and everything, probably beyond repair. Then I though 'Must have taken a while to shift all these computers'. So, I take a look down this here chute," he beckoned Arlond over, pointing his omni-tool torch down and holding open the hatch.

The light clearly showed numerous pieces of circuitry, wires and other computer related items which hadn't quite made it down, meaning that Jath had quickly thrown as many things down there as he could, as quickly as possible. Arlond took a look down, and gave a single nod. Once done, he walked away again, and Brenic closed the hatch.

"Good spotting, but it's hardly anything else that we can put on him."

"No, I know. But then, I noticed this blinking light at my foot. I reach down into that rubbish pile," he said with a disgusted tone, jerking his thumb in the direction of the pile "And I dig out this," at this point, Brenic produced a small data-pad from one of his pockets, offering it out to Arlond "I guess it must have slipped away in all his hurrying. Check the last entry. It's a pretty interesting read, sir."

Dekarie snatched the pad away, and pressed it into life, its screen flickering for a moment before revealing a menu of five separate entries. Clicking it down to the last, he opened it up, revealing a few short paragraphs, which read;

_Things were going so well at first, but I think I've made a big mistake here. I created it to help earn money, not to build another one! I've already destroyed the original, but the copy is...gone. I don't know where, or how. But now, it's ruining my records. Still taking in credits though, strangely enough. I wonder what it's doing? Not that it matters really._

_I think C-Sec are closing in, though for the wrong reasons. Either way I'll get locked up for sure, no denying that. Besides, they won't care, as long as they get hold of me, so what difference does it make?_

_Damn A.I. I wish I had never started this stupid project in the first place..._

Though he would never admit it, this was actually a very good find, and would serve as enough evidence to bring the guy in. That was two charges they had now. Falsified records, and illegal A.I. Arlond smiled curtly, turning the pad off and pocketing it for himself. He gave a nod to Brenic, who recognised it as a sign for them to leave. Both men pressed off the torches that they had on as soon as they entered the light of the corridor again.

"Well, we got something more on him, but no idea where he is. What now?" Brenic asked, not noticing that the turian had already gone to the next door over, and was currently knocking loudly on it.

A tired and disgruntled looking salarian answered the door, though they didn't fit the profile picture of Jath. He gave the two an angry look with barely opened eyes, obviously having been rudely awakened from his slumber. Though they only required an hour or two of sleep each day, it was still a vital part to their life, just as it was for any race.

"Yes yes, what is it?" he snapped in a demanding manner.

"I'm Detective Dekarie of Citadel Security, and this my...'partner', Officer Thompson. I would just like to ask you a few questions about Jath Palor. He's the salarian who lives ju-"

"Yeah, I know him. Quiet guy. Usually keeps to himself. Been out a few times. Pretty sure the only times he's gone out is with me and a few others. Seemed kind of...jittery lately though. Tried to find out why. But, he wouldn't say. Why?"

"Hmm...where is it that he frequents? Usual hang-outs and the like?"

"Jath? Umm, probably down in one of the market computer stores. If not there, then he'll probably be at i-Tartha, some extranet cafe or whatever. So, is that it? Can I go back to sleep now?"

"Yes, of course sir. Thank you for your cooperation."

The door closed, but not without a few angry slurs and comments about C-Sec from the annoyed salarian. Within a few seconds, the two officers were off again, heading back down to the platform, and hopping into the vehicle. Soon enough, they were speeding off toward the local market, sirens blazing through the crowded highways.

******

Any marketplace in one of the Wards was a mass melting pot of everyone and everything. One would be hard pressed to think of an item which could not be obtained from the multitude of stores, legal or otherwise. The market areas were, arguably, the busiest sections of the Citadel, and the place where massive amounts of credits changed hands every minute. And it was here, amongst the hustle and bustle of the crowd, where they were closing in on their target. Dekarie could feel it, almost able to smell the salarian, even before they had left his car.

Quickly he scanned the area, bringing up his omni-tool briefly to check something, nodding once as if to confirm some hidden suspicion which he had chosen not to share. The markets lay out before them, a single walkway leading to a crossroads, which led to paths which looked exactly the same, the only difference being the shops which ran along either side. There were no doors or walls to speak of in most shops, making access to them just that much easier. Anyone who was not used to the scene, such as one Brenic Thompson, might very well be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of flashing lights, loud sharp noises, the buzz of conversation and the constantly shifting crowd. He didn't even know where to start looking, and was actually thankful to have the well versed turian nearby, as Arlond seemed to know exactly where to go.

He had, rather wisely, landed them in the electronic and computer sections of the markets, making their search time all the shorter. Dekarie pointed out a few stores where Brenic should start, while he would cover a few of his own. However, before the two could split up, Arlond grabbed the rookie's arm tightly, pulling him forward slightly and talking above the mess of noises.

"Remember. Skinny, short, green complexion. Try not to spook him!" he shouted.

"Got it!" was the short reply, along with a simple nod.

Brenic began his search in earnest, heading into Falfor's Electronic Emporium first. He was greeted by a short bit stout volus, who's protective suit was an odd mix of green and yellow. The conversation was brief, with a picture of Jath being shown as well. What information he got was minimal, though Falfor did mention that he thought the salarian had passed by not all too long ago. Encouraged by this, the human pressed on, heading to the next shop, and then the next, becoming more and more disheartened as he went along. They either hadn't seen him for quite some time, or just simply weren't sure. He felt that some were holding back, hiding something. But, it was hardly as if he could beat it out of them, not in public at least. With sunken hope, he stopped outside of the last shop he had been in, putting both hands to his hips and looking up to the 'sky'. With a heavy sigh and a shake of his head, he brought his vision downward again, massaging his forehead gently. This eventually worked its way down to his eyes, where he tried to clear away the sleep. He was extremely tired, not having had a chance to rest at all, or even acclimatize. The gravity here felt...odd, to say the least. Heavier.

The man briefly caught sight of his perpetually disgruntled partner, who was also working his way through the stores on the opposite side. With a blank and disinterested expression, he looked over to the next shop which he would be going into. It was yet another computer store, which he had decided he liked the least. They either had an odd smell, or were too hot inside. However, just before heading in, he saw two salarians exit the shop third over from the one he was currently situated at. They seemed to be conversing. A hand shake passed, then a brief and friendly hug. Friends saying goodbye. He frowned, taking a few steps closer. They continued to talk. But, it was the one on the right which particularly perked his attention.

_Skinny, short, green complexion...wait!_

His eyes widened as he suddenly realised who he was staring at, just as the salarian cocked his head to the left, catching the human gawking at him. They stared at each other for a brief few seconds, before Jath's eyes went wide also. He started saying a few hurried words to his friend, already starting to take a few steps away, prompting Brenic to begin approaching. Then, in a state of panic, Jath dropped everything in his hands, spun about and then ran off into the crowd. Determined to prove his worth, the young human took after him at full speed, barging or pushing people out of his path. He shouted after the salarian.

"Stop!" it was mostly drowned out, but he persisted "Citadel Security. Hold it!"

This was, however, a fruitless endeavour, as the salarian clearly had no intention of stopping, for C-Sec or anyone else. It was fortunate for him then, that he seemed able to move and shift through the crowd unheeded, like a brisk body of water. Nothing more than a mere brush was felt by a pedestrian he passed by. On the other hand, Brenic had no such fortune to help him through the heavily crowded market, relying instead upon his loud, demanding voice, ordering people to move aside. Failing that he would merely shove or barge any bystander who failed to hear him, or chose not to heed his warning. This caused a number of yelps and gasps of surprise, disrupting the generally peaceful atmosphere. He did have to halt this process momentarily, as he came upon a krogan, choosing neither to shout at it, or try to barge it out of his way, Brenic was forced to side step quickly, choosing to instead push a volus aside and continue on with the chase.

"Keep on him human," came Arlond's voice over his headset, the turian clearly having seen Brenic persue Jath earlier on "I'll have you covered."

He hadn't a clue as to what this "cover" entailed, but wasn't one to ask. Instead, his mind was entirely focused upon the criminal who was currently putting a significant distance between them. There was little he could do to overcome this. Salarian nature simply made them much more agile than he. Jath took a sudden and unexpected turn into one of the stairwells, leaping and bounding down them with ease. Brenic, struggling to keep up, went down after him, his heart pounding and his breath heavy. Whereas the salarian would take three or four steps at a time, the beleaguered officer could only afford to take two, at the most, still having great trouble working through the crowd. They spiralled downward like this for sometime, avoiding any obstructions in their own unique ways. At one point, a considerable amount of space was taken up by one of the numerous cleaning units, its bulky box-like structure making it difficult to pass by. Jath, being as lithe as he was, simply vaulted over it, carrying on with easy. The human took a similar approach to what he used in the crowd, momentarily increasing his speed and tackling the robot out of his path, causing it to tilt onto the side of its small wheels, and then fall flatly on its side. It also caused a certain amount of pain for him, having to barge aside a metal construction with nothing but himself.

Jath once more made an abrupt turn, after they had gone down at least ten or eleven flights of stairs, heading into one of the more run down areas, where the corridors became narrow and many seperate walkways passed over each other. The tight space presented a new problem of having no room for manoeuvring, but at least there was no crowd to speak of any more. Exposed pipelines and valves lined some of the walls, some clouds of steam or other substances leaking out from cracks that had yet to be attended to, though he could already spot quite a few keepers working constantly to remedy this. Their footsteps met the metal grids of the walkways, causing them to shake and clang with each footfall. With the area relatively clear of any obstructions, Brenic could now start making up ground. The salarian's grace would do no good in open ground, as the human's more powerful legs came into full effect, starting to close the gap at a steady pace.

"Stop!" he called out again, slowing slightly and bringing out his pistol "Stop or I will fire!"

The warning was ignored, and Brenic let off a shot which resonated throughout the area. It flew just to the side, missing its intended mark and instead hammering through one of the many pipes just ahead of Jath. It let out a great gush of steam into the salarian's immediate path, causing him to stumble and falter under the unexpected assault. Brenic heard him let out a surprised yelp, yet he persisted on running, forcing the already tiring human to press on more. Little ground was lost from the shot being fired, so there was still a clear line of sight between himself and Jath. Clear enough for him to see the salarian put one hand on the railing to his left, stop and then leap off the side. With a shocked expression, he stormed over with as much speed as he could, stumbling to the stop roughly where Jath had jumped over. Shock turned to annoyance when he saw that there was another walkway about ten feet below, where Jath had landed into a roll and instantly started running again. Lacking such acrobatics, Brenic had to put one leg over first, and then the next, struggling to keep himself steady. Then, in an extremely clumsy manner, he went down also. A tinge of pain shot up through his legs as they clattered down onto the metal below, bending slightly to lessen the impact. With a pained expression, he staggered forward before pressing himself into a full sprint again.

One more sharp turn to the left, leading to the vehicle platform of this building. Brenic fully realised that if he did not catch up immediately, then the salarian would make off in his car and likely never be seen again. Adrenaline coursed through his body, and though his muscles ached, he kept on, as was required of him. Sweat was running down his face, in part because of their heated surroundings, but mostly due to this excruciating run. The doors opened up before them, instantly being hit by a crowd again. A similar story to the one previously took place again, with Jath working his way through easily, leaving Brenic to stumble and push through foolishly. The vehicle bay was in plain sight now. Jath turned back, confirming that he had put enough distance between he and his presuer. A satisfied smirk formed across his pale green and guant face.

Turning his head back, he was met by the unusual sight of a rather angry turian standing in his path, one who definitely had not been there before. They were too close, and such was his speed that Jath could not stop in time. It was literally a split second between him seeing the turian, and then that same turian body checking him, bursting out with both arms in a violent push. Jath had the wind knocked out him instantly, falling to the floor with a painful thud. He groaned miserably, his vision blurred and head against the cold, unforgiving, metal floor. Jath felt himself being picked up by the scruff of his neck, before being pressed against a nearby wall. He was helpless as a set of handcuffs were slapped across both wrists behind his back.

Eventually, Brenic arrived at the scene, in a mess of exhaustion and plain annoyance. The human doubled-over, taking what few precious seconds he could to catch whatever breath was left. He gasped and panted, even going so far as to wheeze at some points. What just happened wasn't entirely clear in his head. There was the vague memory of seeing Arlond spin out from behind the corner, and then simply slam into the poor unsuspecting salarian with all his might. Certainly not a pain free arrest, and probably the source for much complaint from Jath as soon as they got him to the precinct. With both hands at his side, Brenic straightened his back again, taking in a large inhale of breath. He and Arlond caught each others gaze for a moment, but neither of them smiled.

"I though...you had me...covered," complained the exasperated human.

"I did. Just not in a way you could see," Arlond started "I tracked his car on my omni-tool, and where it was located. Figured that's where he would head, so drove ahead and waited here. Didn't even need to keep a look out with all that damn racket you were making."

"You could have told me...about that plan...a bit earlier," retorted the covering Brenic, who's face was slowly going from red to pale again.

"Well now, then you wouldn't have tried so hard. Our friend here," he said, shaking Jath slightly, who simply whimpered "Might have got suspicious. Might not have come here. Now come on, lets get this useless bastard back to the precinct."

Arlond turned to leave, with Jath pushed out in front of him. However, Brenic had one last question, taking a single step forward and putting an inquisitive expression on his face.

"And what if you had been...wrong?"

"Hmm," the turian stopped, taking a second to think on that, tilting his head upward slightly "Then, I suppose you would have carried on chasing him till you couldn't any more, and he would have gotten away. Fortunately though," he looked back now, a confident smile in place of the usual grimace "I'm never wrong."

******

Later on, having put Jath through the identification and verification process, they held him in one of many interrogation rooms. They already had more than enough evidence on him to put the salarian away for a considerable amount of time, but it always saved so much effort if they just admitted to their crimes on record. Arlond hated having to waste his resources on such trivial matters. Trivial to him anyway. So now they sat, in the bright, but morbid, room. Both officers sat side-by-side, with Brenic staring directly at Jath and Arlond attending to some matters on a data pad. The salarian darted his eyes about, side-to-side, up then down, anything to avoid the C-Sec officer's gaze. His hands were laid out on the table, one holding the other and moving about in a nervous manner. Silence was much worse than any interrogation they could do. It was so...unnerving. Jath cleared his throat quite a few times, in a futile attempt to be rid of the eerie quiet. Not even the hum or buzz of the precinct could be heard.

Eventually, Arlond put the data pad to one side, before leaning forward, resting both elbows and the table and clasping his clawed hands together. He looked directly at Jath, his face unreadable and motionless. The salarian's eyes were instantly drawn to his, through fear or respect, it was hard to tell. Suffice to say, something about those predator-like eyes forced him to look, whereas he could easily avoid the much softer human stare.

"Mr. Jath Palor, isn't it?"

"Y-y-yes sir," came the stuttered answer.

"Mr. Palor, do you know why you've been brought here?"

"I'm...I'm not saying anything until my attorney gets here."

"Please answer the question."

"You think that I...falsified my financial records."

"And did you?"

"No, I mean...no, it..." the salarian became silent, his head dropping down to look at the table "It wasn't me..."

"Then who Jath? Who was it?"

"I...you...I can't say. I won't!"

"Well, that's okay. We can just take a look at your data pad here now, can't we?" Arlond held his hand out toward Brenic, who quickly produced the mentioned pad and gave it to the detective. With a few clicks and beeps it was open "Oh my. Look at this. 'I created it to help earn money, not to build another one!' Looks like you got into a bit of trouble. Tell me, Mr. Palor. What exactly did you create?"

"I...I-I-I. How did you get that? You shouldn't have that! It's private! You-"

"You tried to throw it away," Brenic suddenly interrupted, much to the surprise of both present "Answer the damn question."

"I'm not telling you anything," came the sure reply, a frown forming on his face "Especially not you, human."

"Very well," Arlond continued "Lets keep on going; 'I've already destroyed the original, but the copy is...gone. I don't know where, or how. But now, it's ruining my records.' The original? The copy? What is it, Mr. Palor? What did you make? What was ruining your records?!"

"N-n-no, you don't understand, I didn't mean to-"

"'Damn A.I.'" Arlond started again, his voice much voice clear and pacing slow, to add on suspense "'I wish I had never started this stupid project in the first place.'" he threw the data pad down, and crossed his arms, leaning back again "An A.I. Mr. Palor. Illegal artificial intelligence."

"It was only supposed to help make money. I was poor, desperate, I needed to-"

"Any A.I. is dangerous and illegal, regardless of its purpose. You should know that! Now we've got a rouge A.I. on the loose, and no leads as to where we should even start looking. The entire Citadel could be at risk because of _your_ selfish actions, Mr. Palor. You may want to think on that for a while."

Arlond rose from his chair, giving the salarian a disgusted look, before quickly indicating for Brenic to follow after him. Both of them went over to a nearby work station, where a set of security screens were displayed, showing the view of the room they had just come from. Jath sat alone, his head in his hands and pressed down against the desk. He certainly seemed extremely distraught, maybe even sorry about what he did. But, it didn't matter. An apology wasn't going to get him out of this mess.

"We've already done enough here," Arlond said, pressing a few buttons and making the screens blink off "He'll crack soon enough and confess. Job done."

"Guess it wasn't as easy as you thought though, huh?" Brenic remarked with a slight grin.

"Maybe not for you," was the reply, with Dekarie not even bothering to look at him "But I definitely had an easy time on this one. If you weren't so rash, then you would have had it easy too. Hopefully you'll learn from this."

"Hey, you two," came a voice from an enforcement officer "Captain Ullok wants to see you sharpish. Both of you."

Brenic looked to his superior, a concerned expression on his face, only to see the completely calm and composed Arlond, who had talked with the captain far too many times to be worried about it at all. The two were soon heading over, one afraid of what they could have done wrong, and the other just wondering why he needed to go there.

******

It was odd, to see how differently they entered the captain's office. Arlond might as well have sauntered in, striding casually inside and approaching Ullok's desk. Meanwhile Brenic followed closely behind, his uniform as neat as he could possibly make it, his hair tidied, shoulders back, chest forward and back straight. He walked like an awkwardly moving statue, with minimal wasted effort on unnecessary movements. Whereas Arlond was already halfway down to sitting, Brenic waited patiently to be offered a seat and immediately took it, looking directly at the captain with unblinking eyes.

"Good work on that case you two," he started, looking up from his computer "We've already started trying to find out where that A.I. might have gone to. Hopefully, we'll track it down within the month."

"It was hardly the biggest case of my life, sir," quipped Arlond, who sat in a relaxed manner.

"Perhaps not. But, I hear you still saw fit to tackle our suspect onto the ground. You know that he could file in for Officer Brutality."

"Then we go with self-defence," Arlond said with a shrug "The guy was clearly charging straight at me, right kid?" he proclaimed it rather than asking, backhanding Brenic on the arm slightly. The rookie did nothing but nod his head vigorously.

"Indeed. Well, just be sure that you don't have too many criminals attacking you in such a manner again Dekarie," the captain replied, obviously knowing it was a lie, and his actual meaning was conveyed quite clearly to Arlond "I think that should be all Detective. I'll call you in later if I need you."

"Good. Thanks captain. C'mon kid," he said, standing quickly.

"Ah, no. I'd like a moment with Mr. Thompson. Feel free to wait outside if you'd like."

Arlond gave the captain a confused looked, before glancing at Brenic and then back at Ullok. He gave one nod, then turned and left, the room becoming silent again as soon as he was gone. The captain leant back, holding his hands together on his stomach and looking at Brenic with a steely expression.

"How's your first day been so far?"

"Well, I..erm, I mean it's...it was," he stumbled in confusion, not having expected such a question.

"Calm down. I won't bite. Just say what you want, within reason."

"Well, it has been...tiring. I haven't really had much time to adjust, the journey over was exhausting, I don't know anybody here, I haven't had a chance to look around and most treat me like dirt. Haven't even been shown to my apartment yet."

"Hmm, I'll have Deena get someone to show you around later. Someone a bit, 'friendlier' shall we say?"

"Thank you sir."

"And don't worry. You'll get used to everything after a few days. It always takes people time to adjust, no matter what age, race or origin. I heard that you did pretty well already anyway. I know how fast those salarians can be. Must have been tough."

"Well, yeah, actually..."

"Yes. But please, try not to be so...wild, in the future. The last thing I need is for one of the few human officers to turn up dead. Especially one who was transferred under circumstances such as yours. I didn't exactly have a say in you coming here, and I can't say I'm thrilled. But you better believe that I'm going to do my damnedest to keep you alive. Dismissed."

"Oh, oh...umm, thank you? Yeah, thank you sir," Brenic stood up to leave, but stopped to ask something which had been niggling at the back of his mind "Sir? What's likely to happen with that A.I?"

"We've already got some ideas that it might be somewhere in Zakera Ward. Networking will work to make sure it is, then hand over the case to them."

"And then...?"

"Then nothing. Zakera is out of our jurisdiction. There's no official lines that divide C-Sec up, but local precincts like to deal with their own crimes. It's a tradition of sorts. If it's tracked there, then it'll be out of our hands."

"But, what if they don't find it?"

"Not my concern. Now, if you don't mind?" Ullok looked back to his computer, and pointed to the door, indicating for Brenic to leave.

The human turned in a fluster of annoyance. He could understand what the captain meant, and even appreciate the intent, but it was still extremely frustrating. Knowing there was a problem which he couldn't solve was perhaps the greatest indignation for him. He only stopped briefly at the open door when Captain Ullok spoke once more, in a rather dry tone.

"Oh, and Mr. Thompson. Welcome to C-Sec."

* * *

**After note:** I hope you enjoyed it. Thank you kindly for taking the time to read it. Let me know what you think, where I could improve, what you do or don't like. Whatever. Take care!


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